The United States and its Western allies are faced with a difficult conundrum as they navigate potential responses to the military takeover in Niger if democratic rule is not restored . Under US law if the US State Department formally classifies that takeover as a coup it would require the US to cut foreign and military assistance to the Nigerien government . The Biden administration has not yet made such a determination with State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel saying it is quite too soon to characterize the nature of these ongoing developments . Niger has become a point of stability in the Sahel region of Africa which faces a significant fight against terrorists and Islamist extremists and is a key partner to the US serving as a base for hundreds of US troops to assist with counterterrorism missions . Niger unlike other African nations such as Mali and the Central African Republic has not received assistance from the infamous Russian mercenary organization like Wagner . It is also likely that the Wagner group may seek to exploit the situation for their own benefit. The Wagner group has a significant presence in Africa and its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin may want to exploit it for its own benefit to the United States. Nigers neighbors including Mali and Burkina Faso have experienced coups of their own in recent years have experienced their own coups . Nigers have not received help from the notorious Russian mercenary group . Niger is an essential part of our security posture in the region and we cannot walk away from that. But it will be very very costly for the West to lose it said Vanda FelbabBrown a Senior Fellow at Brookings. It will certainly take advantage of the United Nations to take advantage to the U.S. Officials say that anybody could take advantage in the United states to take an advantage of Niger. They say
‘Washington has to thread a very difficult needle’ on Niger response, experts say .
